BURNING ISSUES

Everyone has said his piece on the burning issues of the day. You just need to read the newspapers online or tune in to the daily news and analysis broadcasts and you would have your fill of what the talking heads and the pundits have in mind.

Here's my two cents' worth --

ON GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
She should stay and complete her term. I go by the analysis written by Belinda Olivares-Cunanan in her column on the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The election results on which her victory was based, reflected the Namfrel count. Not even the next evaluation of the results prompted by the protest lodged by losing vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda against winning candidate Noli de Castro, and despite her lead winnowed down to only about half a million votes, could dispute the victory. After all, the review was made on the same election results upon which the first announcement of victory was made. If ever there was cheating, it was not sufficient enough to alter the election results. My favorite columnist asked besides (which I paraphrase at liberty), "Who among our politicians never cheated, whether they emerged the winner or not?"

So you wonder why even members of the Catholic hierarchy are getting involved in calls to get Gloria to step down, when through Namfrel, the Church effectively affirmed Gloria's victory?

These calls for her to resign stem from more deep-rooted reasons other than her alleged cheating at the polls.

I never for a second believed the opposition including the leftists and Cory and the Church.

ON THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
As well, there is more to this than meets the eye. Israel is not merely retaliating against the Hezbollah for the abduction of an Israeli soldier in an outpost.

But whatever, I say enough. The quarrel between Israelis and the Arabs and the Muslims has gone on long enough. How can't there be a resolution? Why isn't there a resolution to their conflict? Are they not human who can come to an understanding of some sort?

My main goat is this: Their conflict has affected the whole world, that even those who are not parties to the conflict have gotten involved if not affected.

Both sides must stop the conflict before World War 3 ensues. Or before nature takes its course and wipes us all out of the face of the earth.